Void Protocol

You are K. Miller, a communication officer aboard a spaceship orbiting the gas giant SR-819. You lost contact days ago with the rest of the crew when they went to the surface of the planet's moon.

Themes

Cosmic Horror, Ancient Ruins, and Solitude are central in Void Protocol.

Unable to leave, you attempt to mount a rescue since the ship's locked down under the Void Protocol.

Solitude: Alone in a barren and hostile world, you try to find your friends.

Ancient Ruins: Most of the game is exploring ancient ruins.

Cosmic Horror: Aside from the grotesque (if somewhat cute) monsters and imagery, the ending reveals the eldritch forces at play.

Gameplay

Void Protocol has three options for controlling the game: the left side of the keyboard, the number pad, and the arrow keys. You can also access all the functions other than the menu by clicking on the appropriate UI element.

Exploration

Action	Standard	Number Pad	Arrows
Move Forward	W	8	Up
Move Left	A	4	Ctrl+Left
Move Backward	S	6	Down
Move Right	D	2	Ctrl+Right
Turn Left	Q	7	Left
Turn Right	E	9	Right
Interact	Space	0	Space
Use Radar/Radio	R
Menu	Esc

A node on dialogue: Pressing the "Interact" button advances to the next line of text while pressing the Esc key will instantly write out the line of dialogue.

Combat

Combat in Void Protocol is turn-based but also fast-paced. Miller is equipped with a standard-issue weapon, which can eventually be upgraded. 

Healing is done through "stims," but be warned, you're on an alien planet, so they are not littered throughout the moon. Maybe you can persuade one of your crew to spare some.

Dodging reduces incoming damage while allowing you to take a weak shot at your enemies.

Action	Standard	Number Pad	Arrows
Attack	W	8	Up
Dodge	A	4	Ctrl+Left
Run	S	6	Down
Heal	D	2	Ctrl+Right

Settings

Audio settings and the Save and Load Game options can be accessed from the menu screen accessible via the Esc key.

Known Bugs

1. The intro cinematic plays in place When loading a save game from level 2. It should not affect gameplay, but it is a little annoying.

2. You can't load a save game from the title screen. You need to start a new game, open the menu with Esc, and load the game from there.

Secret Settings

There are more settings for this game that I had time to implement in the Settings screen. However, these can easily be changed if you don't mind updating .ini files.

The game's settings live in %APPDATA%\massproducedgames\VoidProtocol\settings.ini, and this is what can be changed to tailor the experience to your liking:

Setting	Default	Effect
fullscreen	false	Sets the game in fullscreen mode
enable_smooth_step	false	This setting adds easing to your character's movement. There's a gradual speedup and slowdown with each step, giving every step on a grid an "oomph." This is off by default; therefore, you have a gliding linear movement.
enable_instant_step	false	Instant Step is unaffected by Smooth Step, and enabling it removes the transition between grid spaces with moving. There is still a delay when walking.
player_step_time	0.2	The length it takes to animate the player's movement from one step to the next. It is only used if enable_instant_step is false.
player_instant_step_time	0.1	The delay between steps if enable_instant_step is true.

Credits and Attributions

I did the programming and level design, and SandySketches did all the artwork. We collaborated on the story and writing.

Save Icon, Load Icon, Exit Icon from Delapouite.